On November 18, 2015, pretrial detainees at the Santa Clara County Jail filed this lawsuit in the U.S. District Court of Northern California. The plaintiffs sued Santa Clara County under U.S.C. § 1983, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. They ...
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On November 18, 2015, pretrial detainees at the Santa Clara County Jail filed this lawsuit in the U.S. District Court of Northern California. The plaintiffs sued Santa Clara County under U.S.C. § 1983, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. They alleged violations of the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution. Represented by the Prison Law Office and several private attorneys, they asked the court for a declaration that Santa Clara County violated their constitutional rights and to enjoin Santa Clara County from holding people in the inhumane conditions of solitary confinement for prolonged periods, to provide individuals with meaningful notice and opportunities to challenge decisions to place them in solitary confinement, to provide constitutionally adequate healthcare, and to cease the unnecessary and excessive use of force. The plaintiffs claimed that they had been imprisoned in solitary confinement from November 2014 to November 2015 without knowing why they had been placed there or given the opportunities to appeal the decision, and that while in solitary confinement, had been denied adequate medical care. The plaintiffs also sought class certification.
The plaintiffs filed an amended complaint on January 20, 2016.
The case was referred to Magistrate Judge Nathanael M. Cousins for settlement discussions on April 28, 2016. The parties jointly moved for class certification, and Magistrate Judge Cousins granted the motion on September 20, certifying a class of "All people who are now, or in the future will be, incarcerated in the Santa Clara County jails." The court also certified a subclass of "All people who are now, or in the future will be, incarcerated in the Santa Clara County jails and who have a psychiatric and/or intellectual disability, as defined under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), 42 U.S.C. §12101 et seq., and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, 29 U.S.C. § 794."
On November 6, 2017, the case was reassigned to Magistrate Judge Robert M Illman.
As of March 24, 2018, settlement discussions are ongoing.
Kat Brausch - 01/30/2016
Virginia Weeks - 03/24/2018
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